Derek’s Blog #9 🦀🧧

By: Derek Wang

Through his stories, Derek shares bits of his life with us as a blogger for FCSN Voices. Check out the Blog Project and Derek’s page & stay tuned as we build his page and add more stories! 💌

`02.14.2026 🐟💌`

On Saturday evening we invited Dad’s coworker Greg and Peggy to celebrate Valentine’s Day. They also live in Gilroy.

They brought us daffodils, eggs, and citrus fruits that came from their farm.

Mom made noodle salad, fried rice, spare ribs steamed with pumpkins, roasted vegetables, and grilled salmon. We had mochi egg tart as a dessert.

We all enjoyed the good food.

`02.15.2026 🦐🥮`

On Sunday I did not go to Sunday School class. Instead we prepared Chinese New Year food for the dinner party that we were going to host in the evening at my house.

2026 is the year of the horse.

I made a horse with apple, tangerine, grapes, and blueberry.

Megan and Josh brought Chinese New Year greeting cards designed by an AI tool and printed by a 3D printer.

I decorated one of the cards with my fruit horse. They look perfect together.

I built a firecracker lego set for Chinese New Year decorations.

Mom made meatballs, spare ribs steamed with pumpkins, arranged the bok choy with dried mushrooms and dried scallops, broccoli with mixed vegetables, lotus roots, seaweed with tofu curds and carrots, and rice noodles steamed with prawns and enoki mushrooms.

Each dish looks beautiful and has a fancy Chinese poem.

Dad arranged beef, pork stomach, pig ears, and tofu curds.

I helped Mom roll the beef strips with enoki mushrooms and green onions and I made rice cake with less sugar and less oil. We also served piggy baozi that I made last week because they look cute.

In the evening Auntie Jen’s family and Megan and Josh came to celebrate the Chinese New Year with us.

Uncle Jon did not come because he had a stomachache.

Auntie Jen brought a huge King Crab and interesting looking fish that has dots on the skin.

We decorated the dining table with a red and golden fish Chinese New Year runner.

I used the scissors to cut the crab to open it because the nutcracker did not work well with the King Crab.

We had Facetime with grandparents in Chengdu to say Happy New Year.

The dessert was ready but I had to get ready for my Chinese class online that we forgot to cancel.

After the class I came back to the dining room for dessert.

I cut the rice cake like a pie.

Alicia and I bowed down to Auntie Jen and parents and said Happy New Year.

They handed me and Alicia the red envelopes.

I helped clean up after guests left.

Every dish was so good but my favorite one was King Crab because it tasted fresh and amazing.

`02.16.2026` 🧧

On Monday there was no school because it’s Presidents Day.

We had a Chinese New Year celebration again at Auntie Julie’s house.

The seniors and parents were getting food first.

At the end, we had family group pictures and then I showed the picture of the fruit horse to everyone.

Afterwards, Auntie Chea Hwa gave me the red envelope.

My favorite activity was celebrating Valentine’s Day with Greg and Peggy because I was excited and Chinese New Year with Auntie Jen’s family, Megan, and Josh.

I also enjoyed celebrating Chinese New Year at Auntie Julie’s house because I got to see everyone.

`02.19.2026 🥪🎱`

On Thursday, I made a sandwich with Maisie at home. Maisie and I had sandwiches that we made for lunch.

I also made one for Mom and Dad to share.

I was so upset when Mom told me not to eat my usual lunchbox.

Maisie and Mom explained how to portion the amount of food that I eat. So, I had half of my usual lunchbox because I already had two slices of sandwiches.

Our new pool table came.

Maisie and I looked at it while Dad assembled the pool table.

What is cool about this furniture is it can be converted into a ping pong table and a dining table. And it came with two long picnic benches that are very cute.